Case with two sides and interlocking latch

ABSTRACT

A case for carrying and storing flexible objects including elongated and small objects in a manner which prevents or reduces the objects from becoming tangled. The case is a two sided case with a central plate or base with each side having an openable lid. The lids are hinged at one side of the case and the lids and base include a latching mechanism for each lid. The exterior of the lids are rigid while the interior of the base and the lids include flexible materials that secure the objects within the case when the lids are closed and provide ease of access to objects when the a lid is open. The latching mechanism includes cooperating elements that premit opening one lid only when that lid is above the base and prevent opening a lid when another lid is open. A locking system secures the lids in closed position.

[0001] This application claims priority of Provisional Application No. 60/441,869 filed Jan. 21, 2003.

[0002] This invention relates to a case for carrying and storing flexible elongated objects and small separated objects. More specifically, it relates to a case used for carrying flexible elongated objects (such as, necklaces with flexible chains, charms, pendants, finger rings, earrings, and other small objects) in a manner which prevents or reduces the objects from becoming damaged or tangled.

[0003] The case of the present invention is a two sided case with each side having an openable cover. The separate sides and their covers are divided by a central plate that includes separate hinges for each cover and a joint locking means for each cover. The locking mechanism permits both covers to be locked closed and permits one cover to be opened but prevents the opening of both covers at the same time. The case is adapted to be placed flat on a surface and actuated to permit the top surface cover to be opened to permit access to the interior of that side of the case. When that cover is closed, the case may be placed with the opposite cover exposed and then the second cover may be opened by actuation. When both covers are closed, the covers can be locked to prevent accidental or inadvertent opening of either side cover of the case.

[0004] Each cover of the case is hinged to a side of the case and the hinges include controlled opening of the cover by causing the cover to be opened under a damped biasing force and damped at a limited speed of that opening. The opening of the cover is under a driving force, but that force is controlled so that the cover opens slowly from its unlatched position to its fully opened position.

[0005] The hinged mounting and controlled opening of each cover permits the user to place the case on a surface and them merely press the latch for the cover at that side with a single finger. The unlatched cover them opens slowly to its fully open position. The need to use both hands to open the case is eliminated.

[0006] The interior of the case, on both sides, is finished with soft resilient materials and suitable partitions to hold the articles within the case in their stored position. Of particular concern for the elimination of tangling of necklace strands is the interior formation of one side with prongs or barriers that permit the user to lace a necklace through the prongs or barriers to separate that necklace from others within the case. The interior surface of the covers are finished with resilient materials that softly compress against the base of that side when the cover is closed to retain the mecklace or other flexible articles in place in their stored position and thus prevent entanglement with other articles in that compartment.

[0007] The interior of the base of the side that is intended to accomodate necklaces or other flexible articles includes protrusions that cause the flexible portion of the article to be raised away from the base of that side to permit a user to grasp easily the article with fingers. These protrusions can allow single flexible articles to be grasped at a place along the article for removal of that article from the case.

[0008] The interior of the opposite side of the case can be provided with compartmentalized sections that will accomodate individual rings, earrings, charms or the like. The cover of that side of the case is also provided with a resilient surface that, when closed against the base, will hold the articles in the compartment where they were stored.

[0009] These and other features of the invention will be shown and described with reference to the attached drawings which are representative of the structures that are intended and are provided for illustrative purposes and not for purposes of limitation.

[0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of one form of the present invention showing the case from the locking mechanism edge.

[0011]FIG. 1A is an enlarged showing of the exterior of the locking mechanism showing the identification of one side of the case and the lock in an unlocked position.

[0012]FIG. 1B is an enlarged showing of the exterior of the locking mechanism showing the identification of the side opposite to that of FIG. 1A.

[0013]FIG. 1C is an enlarged showing of the exterior of the locking mechanism showing indicators for LOCKED and UNLOCKED position.

[0014]FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of the case and showing the single finger operation for the opening of the case.

[0015]FIG. 3 is a perspective illustration of the case with one cover opened and illustrating the single finger opening of the case.

[0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration showing the side of the case for accomodating flexible articles and illustrating the prongs and protrusions that permit lacing of a flexible article and providing access to retreiving that article.

[0017]FIG. 5 illustrates the access to retrieving an article from the case with finger tips.

[0018]FIG. 6 illustrates the removal of an article from the prongs and protrusions.

[0019]FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing one form of retainer for flexible articles.

[0020]FIG. 8 is an alternative form for the retaining mechanism of the present invention.

[0021]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another alternative form for the separating means within the side of the case adapted to accomodate flexible articles.

[0022]FIG. 10 is another alternative form for separating and retaining flexible articles within the case.

[0023]FIG. 11 is another alternative form for separating and retaining flexible articles.

[0024]FIG. 12 is an side view of the cooperation of the alternative form as shown in FIG. 11.

[0025] The foregoing drawings and description of the essence of the present invention should convey to a person skilled in this art the features of the invention. The case as illustrated and as described so far has been related to the use of the case for carrying and storing jewelry. It should be understood that the case can be used for that same purposes in storing and carrying other flexible articles such as fishing lures, small fasteners or any article having a leader and a clasp.

[0026] In FIG. 1 the case 10 is shown in a closed position. The surface 12 of the case as shown is adapted to accomodate a name tag or the like at 14 for identification of the manufacturer, owner or the products enclosed. The latching mechanism is shown at 16 and it should be understood that a hinge mechanism 18 would be at the edge away from the latch.

[0027]FIG. 1A is an enlarged showing of the latching mechanism 16 illustrating an identification tab 20 for the side of the case and its contents; in the illustration shown the side would be for separate articles such as rings, and the like. The identification tab 20 also is the release button for the cover of the case on that side. Also shown is the locking lever 22 that will be further described hereinafter.

[0028]FIG. 1B is an enlarged showing of the opposite side of the case and shows the latching mechanism 16 and an identification tab 24 and release button for this side of the case and the locking lever 22.

[0029]FIG. 1C is an enlarged showing of the front of the locking lever 22 illustrating the locking lever in the LOCKED position represented by a closed padlock 26 a and in an UNLOCKED position represented by the padlock 26 b in an opened position.

[0030]FIG. 2 illustrates the operation of opening the case by a finger pressed against the identification tab 20 or 24, depending upon which side of the case is facing UP. The case is easily opened by simply pressing on the tab and the cover opens under its biased/damped hinge system.

[0031]FIG. 3 illustrates the case opened after the tab 24 has been pressed. In this drawing, the side of the case shown opened is the side for accomodating single or loose articles such as rings, braclets, watches, or earrings. The interior of that side includes partitions 28 that separate the articles. The inside surface of the cover 30 will be described later.

[0032]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the opposite side of the case illustrating the interior of the side 32 adapted to accomodate flexible articles and pendants, or the like. In this view, the hinge 34 is shown (not in detail) as being enclosed within the case when the cover 36 is closed. Within the interior of the side 32, a series of prongs 38 are provided for lacing the flexible materials against some barriers. The prongs are made of a soft flexible material that can bend slightly so as to not damage the articles laced against them. The prongs may be tapered slightly to assist in allowing the articles to fall into or be withdrawn from the base at that side. At one side of the base 32 an area 40 is provided for accepting a charm or pendant attached to a flexible article and a barrier 42 can be provided to separate the articles within the area from the area where the flexible articles are laced. Spaced within the area where articles are laced are a plurality of short walls 44 that raise a portion of the flexible article above the base to provide for easy removal of fine chains or the like from the base of the case.

[0033]FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 illustrate enlargements of the prongs 38 and the short walls 44 and show the ease of access to the flexible articles by fingers for removing the articles from the case.

[0034]FIG. 7 is an illustration of one form of apparatus for holding flexible articles in place within the case 10. As shown, the prongs 38 are placed within the base for lacing flexible articles. A series of long walls 46 with mating bars 48 are placed along the base 32; the bars 48 are hinged to the walls 46. With this system, the flexible articles are held in place within this side 32 of the case when the bars 48 are hinged down against the walls 46 and the case cover is closed. The walls and bars may be make of soft plastic or may have soft plastic surfaces that encounter the flexible articles.

[0035]FIG. 8 illustrates another form of apparatus for holding the flexible articles in place. As here illustrated, a series of barriers 50 are provided on the base 32 of this side of the case and a mating series of barriers 52 are provide on the interior of the cover 36. The mating barriers are spaced between the prongs 38. When the cover 36 is closed on the enclosed flexible articles, the two barriers engage each other and enclose any portion of a flexible article positioned within that side of the case.

[0036]FIG. 9 illustrates yet another variation of the means for securing flexible articles within the case. As here illustrated, the prongs 38 of previous examples are replaced with wall structures 54 that serve as means against which flexible articles may be woven to position such articles within the case. In this form of the invention, the interior surface of the cover 36 is provided with a compressible surface 56 extending along the entire surface of the cover. As shown in FIG. 9 a portion of the compressible surface 56 is cut-away and showing the interior of the cover 36. With this form of the present invention, a flexible article laced within this side along the wall structures 54 will be maintained in place by the compressible surface 56 when the cover is closed.

[0037]FIG. 10 illustrates another alternative form for the maintaining of flexible articles within the case. In this illustration, a conventional “egg crate” structure is attached to both the base 32 and the cover 36 with one part of the egg crate 58 on the base 32 and the other part of the egg crate 60 on the cover 36. The undulations within the egg crate 58 in the base 32 permit the flexible articles to be laced along the case so that when the cover 36 is closed, the egg crate 60 of the cover presses against the egg crate 58 and secures the flexible articles in place.

[0038]FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 illustrate yet another alternative form for the securing mechanism of the present invention. As here illustrated, a plurality of rippled barriers 62 in the base 32 are spaced between prongs 38 and a plurality of mating rippled barriers 64 are in alignment and placed on the interior of the cover 36. The ripples in the barrier 62 permit flexible articles to be woven along the case in a manner to separate the strands of the articles. As illustrated in FIG. 12, these rippled barriers 62 and 64 mate when the cover 36 is closed against the base to secure the articles in place.

[0039] In each of the alternative forms of securing means and in the securing means for the cover 30 that is adapted to accomodate rings or other small articles, the interior surfaces of the base of the case is formed from flexible and compressible material, such as foam plastic, and the interior surfaces of the covers are covered with similar flexible and compressible plastic materials.

[0040] The present invention is formed as a shallow case with each side being only as deep as is needed to accomodate the intended articles. When so formed the case is easily stored within a bureau or chest as well as within travelling luggage. The hard exterior surface of the case prevents damage to the articles within the case. The flexible prongs or pegs prevent necklaces from tangling. The “one handed” cover opening by Just pressing a push button allows for ease opening of the case. The slow damped opening of the cover as provided by the hinge system allows for opening of the case without moving or shocking the articles into a possible tangle. The short walls and other protrusions allow for ease of removal of fine chains or necklaces. The storage area for charms and pendants attached (or unattached) to chains allows for the flexible articles to be stored without removing the charm or pendant from the article. The interlocking latch system prevents the case from having both covers opened at the same time; the latch has a gravity activated element that prohibits a second cover from being opened when another cover is already open.

[0041] The case as illustrated has smooth radiused edges and is compact to permit it to be easily “stuffed” into smaller spaces and can be placed within a purse or the like. The double sided case stores all sorts of jewelry as well as other cosmetics and accessories. The icons on the latches easily identify the type of articles stored within that side of the case. The locking system allows the case to be securely closed and locked during travel. The durable hard exterior protects the enclosed jewelry and the soft pliable plastic and foam interior protects the enclosed articles. The material from which the case may be constructed, inside and outside, permits the case to be easily cleaned should it become soiled.

[0042] As previously stated, the case can be used to accomodate a variety of articles and is not restricted to the use as a jewelry case. Any flexible article can be carried within the case and particularly those articles that can easily become tangled if not restricted in movement.

[0043] While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically disclosed, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpertation based on the foregoing disclosure. 

We claim:
 1. A case for carrying and storing flexible objects comprising: a) a base member, said base member including a two sided interior portion for accommodating said objects, a hinge side and a latch side for said base member, b) a latch mechanism attached to said latch side of said base member, c) a pair of lids, d) a hinge mechanism, e) said lids being hinged to said base member at said hinge mechanism with one of said lids at each side of said base member and cooperating with one each side of said two sides of said base member between a latched and an open position, f) said hinge mechanism including biasing and damping means for said hinged attachment of said lids for biasing said lids to an open position and for damping movement of said lids when moving from latched to open position, g) each of said lids including latching means cooperation with said latch mechanism on said base member, h) said latch mechanism including means interconnection with said latching means in each of said lids whereby only one of said lids may be unlatched from said latching mechanism on said base member at any one time, i) release means on each of said lids cooperating with said latching means for releasing a lid from latched position, and j) locking means having a locked and an unlocked position within said latching mechanism for locking and unlocking both of said lids to said base member and to prevent release of said release means when said locking means is in locked position.
 2. The case of claim 1 wherein said base member includes flexible prongs formed within each side of said two sided interior portion, said prongs extending from said interior portion toward one of said pair of lids, said prongs being uniformly spaced within said interior portion to provide spaces for accommodating flexile objects, one side of said interior portion including short wall structures between said prongs for facilitating finger access to flexible objects stored within said interior portion.
 3. The case of claim 1 wherein said interior portion includes flexible compartments for accommodating and separating individual objects from other objects and for accommodating elongated items attached to some individual objects.
 4. The case of claim 1 wherein said interior portion of said base member includes flexible compressible material and said lids include flexible interior surfaces cooperating with said flexible compressible material and said base member to securely engage objects placed within said interior portion when said lid is in closed and latched position with respect to said base member.
 5. The case of claim 4 wherein said flexible compressible material within said base and said flexible interior surface included in said lid are of cooperating egg crate like construction.
 6. The case of claim 4 wherein said flexible compressible material within said base member is a transverse wall surface and said flexible interior surface of said lid is a walled surface, said two walled surfaces being aligned so as to mate when said lid in in closed and latched position with respect to said base member.
 7. The case of claim 6 wherein said release means on each of said lids is actuated by pressing on said release means to unlatch said latching means for that lid and said lid is hinged away from said interior portion of said base member to provide access to objects stored within said case.
 9. The case of claim 8 wherein said release means is attached to said base member and said lid is released for hinged movement while said release means is depressed.
 10. The case of claim 8 wherein each of said lids includes a release means.
 11. The case of claim 10 wherein said release means on each of said lids can only be released when a lid is above said base member whereby said lid cannot be opened when objects stored within said case could fall from an inferior portion.
 12. The case of claim 1 wherein said latch mechanism interconnection with said latching means prevents the opening of a second lid when one lid is in its opened position.
 13. The case of claim 12 wherein said latch mechanism interconnection with said latching means is a gravity actuated means.
 14. The case of claim 1 wherein said clamping means within said hinge mechanism controls movement of a lid from latched position to open position and from open position into latched position at a slow rate of speed top prevent disturbing the position of objects within said case as said lid is moving.
 15. The case of claim 1 wherein the exterior surfaces of said lids are rigid.
 16. The case of claim 15 wherein said exterior surface of said lids includes rounded corners and smooth edges to prevent catching said surfaces on exterior articles.
 17. The case of claim 16 wherein said hinge is substantially totally contained within said junction of said lids and said base member and presents a smooth surface both exterior of said case and interior of said hinged connection of said lid to said base member.
 18. The case of claim 1 wherein said lids of said case have hard surfaces and said interior of said case has soft compressible surfaces.
 19. The case of claim 1 wherein said release means on each of said lids includes indicia for identifying the objects contained within said interior portion.
 20. The case of claim 1 wherein said locking means includes indicia for indicating locked and unlocked positions of said lids. 